November 6, Monday, 2023

1. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has held its first drill using shelters designated for emergency evacuation in the event of a missile attack. About 60 people took part in the drill held on Monday at three places in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, including Toei Subway Nerima Station and the Heisei Tsutsuji Park. At the subway station, participants began to evacuate when the central government’s J-Alert nationwide warning system issued an alarm for a missile launch. 2. People in Japan are getting bigger returns on their fixed bank deposits for the first time in years. The change follows a rise in long-term interest rates that accompanied tweaks in the country’s monetary policy. MUFG Bank previously offered returns of a uniform 0.002 percent for 5- to 10-year fixed term deposits. Starting Monday, it increased the 10-year rate by 100 times to 0.2 percent. It’s the first such increase in 12 years. 3. A senior UN official has urged the international community to hold dialogue with the Taliban and provide support for women and girls in Afghanistan. The UN Development Programme’s Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, spoke to NHK on Monday in Tokyo. The Taliban, which seized power two years ago, have been restricting women’s rights to education and work.